Shrinking machine



P 8, 1953 o. M. TOENNIIES 2,651,313

SHRINKING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1952 sealed before the package Patented Sept. 8, 1953 2,651,313 SHRINKING MACHINE Owe M. Toennics, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The E. Kahn s Sons Company, Cincinnati,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio I Application March 3, 1952, Serial No. 274,639 Claims. (01. 134-133) This invention relates to a machine for shrinking around a package a wrapper which is shrinkable on contact with a liquid. More particularly this invention relates to a shrinking machine having a bath of said liquid in which a package can be suspended and to means for discharging the package from the bath.

An object of this invention is to provide a rack for a shrinking machine which supports the package in a fluid bath and which rack can be raised to discharge the package from the bath.

A further object of this invention is to provide an arrangement of relatively movable sloping racks in a tank which racks cross to form a V-shaped support for the package while submerged as when the movable rack is in a lowered position, the movable rack when raised, sliding the package upwardly on the other rack and discharging it over a side of the tank.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will in part be apparent and will in part be obvious from the followin detailed description, and the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a shrinking machine constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a view in sectiontaken on line H-II of Fig. 1.

- In the following detailed description, and the drawing, like reference characters indicate like parts. I i

As shown in the drawing, the shrinking machine includes an open tank having a bottom l0 and side walls l2, l3, l4 and I5. The tank is constructed to hold a liquid such as water. In operation the water is maintained at a suitable level as indicated at IT. The water is heated to an elevated temperature by steam coils I8 or the like. The particular temperature to which the water is heated is that temperature which will shrink a wrapper H! which is shrinkable in hot water, for a meat package 20 when the ackage is submerged in the water as shown in Fig. 2.

The machine is especially designed for shrinkpackage of meat but machine. In the machine, the package is suspended in hot water for a wrapper is shrunk tightly ar und the meat.

' as, which cross to form a V as indicated most clearly in Fig. 2.

The stationary rack 24 includes a plurality of L-shaped bars 27 which hang over the top of tank wall I 2. As shown in Fig. 2, one arm 28 of each bar 21 hangs outside the tank. Bars as by welding. The ends of cross bar 3| may be welded to walls l3 and M of the tank to anchor the stationary rack in the The movable rack includes end frames 32 and 34, and a in position be welded own,t he bars of the racks are inclined As sh to each other at an angle of at 26 in Fig. 2.

When package I9 is advanced to the tank ID by conveyor 22 and is deposited in the tank, it is described above is subject supported in the V formed between the stationary and movable racks as indicated in Fi 2. When the package has remained in the tank for a sufficient time, movable rack 26 is raised to raise the package along the arms 29 of the bars of the stationary rack to the position indicated at ill from which the package falls by gravity down along arms 28 onto discharge conveyor 23. As the movable rack is raised, the V between the stationary and movable racks the movable rack is fully raised, the lower ends of the inclined bars 36 are above the stationary rack so that the package can slide from the inclined bars onto arms 28 of the stationary rack and thence onto the discharge conveyor. The movable rack is raised and lowered by means of a piston rod 38. The piston rod '38 is attached at its lower end to a cross bar 39. Cross bar 39 in turn is attached to the end frames 32 and 33' of the movable rack.

The upper end of piston rod '38 carries a piston 40 which is received inside a pneumatic cylinder 4i. As shown, cylinder 4| is supported above the tank on a frame 3|. Air under pressurecan be fed into either end of a cylinder 41 as desired, through a four-way valve 42. When a package is to be discharged from the tank, compressed air is fed into the lower end of cylinder 4! through a pressure line 43. Then, when the movable rack has been raised and the package has been discharged, the air pressure in the lower end of cylinder 4| is released and air is permitted to enter the top of cylinder 4| through a line to permit the movable rack to return into the tank to the position shown in full lines in Fig.

The machine illustrated in the drawing and to structural modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for shrinking a wrapper which is shrinkable in .a liquid (around a package, said machine comprising an open-topped tank containing a liquid in which saidwrapper is shrinkable, a movable rack having an openwork platform mounted for vertical reciprocation in the tank, said platform sloping downwardly irom a location adjacent one wall of the tank toward the opposite wall when in the tank, the lower edge of said platform being slightly above said opposite wallwhen raised, and astationary rack havin an openwork platform extending from said opposite wall downwardly toward said first mentioned wall, said platforms crossing inside the tank when the movable rack is lowered to form a support for the package below the liquid level, the package being propelled upwardly on the stationary rack and discharged over said opposite wall when the movable rack is raised.

2. A machine in accordance with claim 1 characterized by the fact that each rack is inclined at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the rises until when Jspaced parallel bars,

vertical and at approximately degrees to the other rack to form a V-shaped trough therebetween for supporting the package when the movable rack is in the tank.

3. A machine in accordance with claim 1 characterized by the fact that the movable rack and the stationary rack each comprise a plurality of that across bar is attached to the lower ends of the bars of the stationary rack, that the ends of the cross bar are attached to the walls of the tank to hold the stationary rack in place therein, and that the lower ends of the bars of the movable rack project between the bars :of the stationary rack and are free so that the lower end of the movable rack can be raised through the stationary rack.

4. Amachin'e *for shrinking a wrapper which is shrinkable in a liquid around a package, said machine comprising an open-topped tank containing a liquid in whichsaid wrapper is shrinkable, a movable rack mounted for vertical reciprocation in the tank, said movable rack comprising a plurality of spaced downwardly sloping bars, and a-stationary rack,-said stationary rack comprising a plurality of bars sloping downwardly into the tank, the slope of said bars being opposite to the slope of the bars of the movable rack and forming a V, the apex of which moves along the stationary bars when the other bars move vertically, said apex coinciding with the top of one wall when the movable rack is in its package discharging position, said bars being adapted to support the package in the V thereof below theliqnid level when themovable rack is in a lowered position, the movable rack sliding the package upwardly on the stationary rack bars to discharge the package oversaid opposite wall when the movable rack is raised.

5. A machine .ior shrinking a wrapper which is shrinkable in a liquid around a package, said machine comprising an open-topped tank containing .a liquid which said wrapper is shrinkable, a movable rack mounted for vertical reciprocation in the tank, said movable rack comprising a plurality of spaced downwardly sloping bars, and a stationary rack, said stationary rack comprising .a plurality-of L-shaped bars, each L-shaped bar hanging over said opposite wall with the apex above said opposite wall, one arm of each L-shaped bar extending downwardly from the apex toward said first mentioned wall, the other arm of each L-shaped bar extending downwardly from the apex outside the tank, said bars being adapted to support the package in the tank with the package below the liquid level when the movable rack is in a lowered position, the movable rack sliding the package upwardly on the stationary rack bars to discharge the package over said opposite wall when the movable rack is raised.

OWE M. TOENNIES.

No references cited. 

